


Pick Up

by Celyan



Series: Works for 007 Fest 2020 [21]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Q (James Bond) in the Field, Q in the military, Sort of anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:52:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25530115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celyan/pseuds/Celyan
Summary: Wherein Q returns from a mission with 001 in need of a lift.
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Series: Works for 007 Fest 2020 [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813132
Comments: 1
Kudos: 71





	Pick Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MrKsan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrKsan/gifts).



> Written for the Trope prompt table’s prompt ‘Ex-Military Q’ for which Ksan was kind enough to provide an idea as follows: _Q sent to a mission because it's somehow connected to his military days? (Intelligence, maybe) and returns injured? Or Bond goes with him, surprised that Q was in the army once upon a time._
> 
> Thanks to SandyWormbook for the beta and Cassie for helping me with the title.

The mission was a success.

Well, relatively speaking, it was. Q hadn’t expected to return without any scrapes or bruises when he’d been asked (well, told really, but it had been worded very politely) to join 001 for her mission in Cyprus, but a fractured ankle hadn’t been in mind. 

Car chases were definitely not among his favourite activities, no matter what Bond had to say about the subject.

001 herself had fared much better, though, and for that Q was thankful. Without her assistance the long way back would have been at least twice longer. 

On the plus side, he’d been able to remain mostly unconscious during the flight back due to the medication he’d received after the surgery. 

Now that he was back in London soil again, Q seriously needed to figure out how these bloody crutches worked. He’d managed to get off the airplane and through baggage reclaim with 001’s assistance, but it had been slow and very much annoying to Q who was used to moving freely and without a care from one place to another. 

He was so focused on his thoughts that he nearly missed it when 001 said something to him, gesturing towards the throngs of people waiting. She had to physically wave her hand in front of his face, and by the time Q blinked and looked up it was already too late.

“Hello Q,” said a familiar voice, and suddenly Bond stood there, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite decipher. 

“Bond,” he said, feeling suddenly awkward and also a bit unsure of what he was supposed to say now.  _ Hello? So about that mission I said I was asked to join, nobody told me how dangerous it might become? _ Yes, that would certainly go down well.

Not that Bond had any room to talk, mind. Q’d already lost count on how many times he’d been on the other side of this very situation, and they hadn’t even been properly dating for more than ten months, tops.

“How are you feeling?” Bond asked, managing to surprise Q by actually keeping a bit of distance and not trying to touch him in any way. He’d probably been in Q’s situation before, and remembered that experience well. 

“I’m fine,” Q replied. “Ish. The medication I was given works wonders, I can barely feel my ankle.” 

Bond raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you looked so unsure while you were walking?” 

Q frowned. “If by unsure you mean my not yet being used to these bloody crutches, then the answer is yes. I’ve only used them once before.” 

“You’ll get better soon enough.” 

001, who was standing a bit behind him with both of their luggage, cleared her throat. 

Right, Q had almost forgotten about her. He glanced at her and wordlessly promised to make haste so that she could get on with her day without needing to listen in on her Quartermaster’s surprise meeting with his boyfriend. 

“What brings you here, anyway?” Q asked Bond. “Not that it isn’t lovely to see you, but I expected it to happen at Six and not here.”

“I wanted to see you and check whether you needed any assistance with your injury,” Bond said. “Which you do, so it’s a good thing that I came.”

Well, that was unexpected.

“I manage just fine with the crutches,” Q pointed out. “And Elena is helping me with my luggage, so while I’m happy to see you, it was hardly necessary for you to come all the way here.” 

“I disagree,” Bond said. “It’s clear to me that you need a lift.” He stepped closer to Q and held out his hand for Q’s crutches. “May I?”

Mystified, Q complied and surrendered first one and then the other to Bond, who in turn wrapped an arm around Q for support and handed them over to 001. Afterwards he indicated for Q to climb onto his back, which Q did (with some help from Bond and 001) after a moment or two of incredulous staring. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Bond, he just hadn’t expected for his boyfriend to offer to do quite that. Though he supposed that this was better than Bond going straight for a bridal carry. 

“I meant it when I said that I managed,” he had to remind Bond, even as he rested his chin against the man’s shoulder. Bond smelt nice, and it had been over a week since they had last seen each other so he was happy to be close to him again. 

“I know.” Bond sounded fond and perhaps a tiny bit amused. “But you’re my injured boyfriend and I wanted to do something to help. Humour me, darling?” 

“I thought I already was.” 

001 chuckled, but wisely kept her comments to herself. Bond continued to carry Q towards the car and began asking him about what the doctors had said.

It wasn’t until Q was safely sat in the car, his crutches in the trunk along with their luggage, and 001 sitting in the backseat, when Bond said, “I didn’t know that you’d been in the army.” He wasn’t looking at Q, electing to focus fully on the road before them instead, but Q could detect a hint of hurt in the tone of his voice. 

“That’s because it’s classified information,” Q said. “But seeing as you’re aware of it now, yes, I was in the Royal Engineers. My father was a Royal Engineer as well, and his father before him, so you might say that it runs in the family.” 

“And this mission you’re returning from...”

“Had to do with my past in the military, yes. I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you, unless M instructs me otherwise.” 

“Even I don’t know much more than that,” 001 said, possibly to appease Bond’s feelings. “And I was the double-oh involved in the mission.” 

Bond said nothing to that, but he did glance at Q and offer him a nod. 

And that seemed to be the end of that. Bond drove them to Six, where he and 001 accompanied Q to M’s office for a debriefing (although Bond waited outside with Moneypenny), and afterwards Bond drove him straight to home. 

It felt strange to be home when his cats weren’t there — following his injury, Q had arranged for them to remain with his friend for a bit longer, enough so that he could get used to the crutches properly — but at least he had his boyfriend there with him. Bond was going to take care of him, or that was at least what he’d told Q on the way. 

Right now, Q was on the sofa, a quilt over his lap and a steaming mug of tea on the coffee table before him; both courtesy of Bond. The man himself was in the kitchen, cooking them dinner. 

“I’m here for you,” Bond had said while helping Q make himself comfortable. “And I will be here for you as long as you want me to.” Then he’d kissed Q on the lips, gentle and light and familiar, and gone to make him tea. 

Q wasn’t sure, but he thought that perhaps Bond had, in his own way, given him a promise of stability. 

He could easily learn to live with that. 


End file.
